by K C Gillis
“If this guy Drew is buying drugs from Malone, maybe I can use that as leverage to help me get access to the NeuSterone site. I bet his employers wouldn’t like it that one of their employees at a semisecret test site is doing drugs. I would think that’s grounds for firing.”
“So you want to threaten him?”
“Basically, yeah.”
“It might work. At least with this approach, if he decides not to help, he’s not likely to go and tell his boss, since you’d be able to expose his drug use.”
“Right. There’s still some risk he does it on his own, to nullify my leverage. But he’d be taking a chance.”
“How do you plan to get to him?”
“Malone. I need him to get Drew to meet me. As soon as possible. Do you have a way to contact Malone?”
“I can get his number from the guest records. If you’re sure, I’ll call him and get him to come here.”
“Perfect. But don’t tell him the real reason. Just make something up to get him here.”
“Consider it done.”
38
Jordan walked back and forth along the main deck of the marina, the one to which they attached all the accessory decks. Now well into the evening, there were many more boats returning than leaving. The clear western sky, with just a few scattered clouds, was setting itself up for a colorful sunset.
Derek had confirmed Punch Malone would come to the marina to talk to him. Derek would then pass him to Jordan.
She glanced up toward the marina buildings and saw two men coming down to the docks. One was Derek, and the other must have been Punch Malone. He wasn’t wearing a black hoodie but had one tied around his waist. On his head was a baseball-style hat. Jordan thought it had the logo of the Boston Bruins, her favorite hockey team, on the front.
Maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all.
Getting access to the NeuSterone site would be a two-step process. First, she needed to convince Malone to connect her with Drew. That should be the easiest of the two steps. The second step would be to convince Drew to leave a way onto the site and into the large testing building, including the interior storage room. Leaving the refrigerators and freezers unlocked would be a bonus. At a minimum, Drew had to know she’d expose his drug use if he said anything about her plans. More leverage on Drew would have been ideal, but she’d work with what she had.
Malone trailed behind Derek, his head down. His body language said he wasn’t a fan of whatever Derek had told him about the meeting.
“Jordan, this is Punch Malone,” Derek said as they reached her.
“Nice to meet you.” Jordan extended her hand. Malone raised his head to look at her, took her hand, and delivered the limpest handshake Jordan had ever felt. Malone clearly wasn’t used to handshakes.
Seeing Malone up close, Jordan knew what had been bothering her about this man. He was the person she’d seen in the boat garage the day of the forklift accident. The one who’d slipped away when he’d spotted Jordan looking at him.
“You’re Punch Malone?” Jordan said.
“Yeah. I don’t know what you want with me, but I don’t do things for people I don’t know,” Malone said.
“How about I tell you what I need and why I need it? Then you can decide.”
“I guess so. But I’m not agreeing to anything.”
“What I need is actually pretty simple. I need you to set up a meeting with your friend Drew. Tonight. Right away, even.”
“Drew? I don’t know anyone named Drew.”
“Are you sure? He’s really tall, has a beard.”
“Sorry. Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“OK. Let’s see if this helps jog your memory. A few nights ago, I saw you selling drugs. To a guy who was so tall, it had to be Drew. You were on the far side of the marina property. Surprisingly, the police chief wasn’t too far away. Does that ring a bell?”
Malone broke eye contact and looked down, a sure sign he had been lying. “Fine. I know the guy only as a buyer. I don’t know anything else about him. I don’t even know his last name.”
“I don’t care what his last name is. But I need to meet with him. Urgently. Can you set it up?”
Malone looked to Derek, apparently seeking some kind of endorsement. Derek gave a brief nod.
“I have his number and can call him, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be around or even agree.”
“If he doesn’t want to meet, just tell him what I told you. I know where he works, and I’m willing to bet his employers don’t want someone on the payroll who’s a drug user.”
“You know where he works? He told me he’s unemployed. That he just does odd jobs for cash under the table.”
“That’s not true. He has a job. But his company is a bit on the secretive side. Knowing I saw him buying drugs should be enough to get him to meet.”
“All right. You want me to call him tonight?”
“Not tonight. Now.”
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
Jordan and Derek listened as Malone made the call. They could only hear Malone’s side of the conversation, but it was clear Drew didn’t want to meet with some person he didn’t know. Malone mentioned the drug deal Jordan had witnessed. That was enough to get Drew’s agreement.
Malone put his phone in his back pocket. “It’s good. He’ll meet with you tonight.”
“When and where?”
“There’s a bar about seven miles from here called the Old Town Tavern. He’ll be there by nine.”
Malone had done what Jordan needed him to do. But to let him off the hook concerning his potential role in the forklift accident would be a missed opportunity. She slipped her hand into her back pocket and removed her phone.
“Perfect. That wasn’t too hard, was it? Let me write down the name of that place.” The name was easy to remember, and Jordan didn’t need to write it down. But she needed to activate a voice-recording app. She should have gotten Malone’s consent before recording him, but she didn’t expect his agreement. Plus, he was definitely a criminal on multiple fronts. She could live with any guilt that arose.
“I guess not. But don’t ask me for anything else.”
“How about a question? No request, just a question.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember me from the other day? The day of the forklift accident?”
Malone broke eye contact again. “I don’t think so. I might have seen you around the marina, but I don’t remember when.”
“Oh, come on. I was standing in the parking lot, close to where the forklift crashed into the boats. You were standing inside the big door of the boat maintenance building, peeking around to where the forklift was. Then you saw me looking at you and made a beeline out of there.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have me confused with someone else. I’m out of here.”
Malone turned to return to the parking lot, but Jordan wasn’t done.
She took a step forward and raised her voice. “Do you know what I think? I think you set that forklift in motion on purpose. And I also think you caused the other two accidents. The boat that crashed into the docks and the dock that floated away. That was you, wasn’t it?”
Malone, about ten feet away, froze in his tracks.
Guilty.
Derek looked at Jordan. “What are you doing? There’s no proof at all Malone had anything to do with the accidents.”
“Call it reporter’s intuition. He was at the scene of the crime looking guilty. I took a chance.”
Malone turned and came back to Jordan and Derek. “I agreed to help you connect with Drew. Can you please ignore what you think you know about the accidents?”
“I’m a reporter. Ignoring things isn’t something I’m good at. The accidents at the marina were too strange to have happened randomly, especially so close together. They had to have been done on purpose.”
Malone came in close and spoke quietly. “Look, you need to leave this alone. You’ll
be in way over your head if you stick your nose in here. Believe me. I wish I wasn’t involved.”
That’s my second warning today.
Jordan looked from Malone to Derek, not sure if she should say what was on her mind. That had never stopped her before.
“He’s the second person today to give me a warning about sticking my nose into things in Copper Lake.”
“Really?” Derek said. “Who was the first?”
Jordan looked him square in the eyes. “Your father.”
Derek blanched at the words. He had no response.
“Oh shit,” Malone said.
“What?” Jordan said. “You and the chief both warning me makes me think you’re both involved in whatever’s going on.”
“Jordan, you’re way off base. My dad is the damn police chief, not some criminal like Malone.”
Derek’s choice of words backfired.
“Go to hell, you little shit,” Malone said. “I wouldn’t even be in this mess if it weren’t for your dad. He’s just as tied up in this as I am.”
Jordan expected Derek to retaliate in some fashion, to defend his dad or even take a swing at Malone. Instead, he just stood still, not saying a word.
“What are you involved in?” Jordan asked Malone.
“I can’t say. If certain people find out, I’m pretty sure I’m a dead man.”
That was unexpected. “That sounds a bit overdramatic.”
“The hell it is. A guy told me not to fuck anything up. He shared a story of what happened to someone he knew who did fuck up. That guy ended up dead.”
“Was this the chief?”
“No. He’s a pawn, just like me.”
“Then who?”
“I told you, I don’t know him. All I know is that someone really wants to buy the marina and that the accidents are meant to be some kind of motivation. I didn’t ask to know more, and no one volunteered to tell me more. I just want this to end.”
“And you have no idea who’s responsible?”
“The only thing I know is someone really wants to buy the marina. I think they’re from New York or Jersey.”
“How so?”
“The one guy who warned me, I think his name is Nicky, said he’d done stuff in New York. Plus, he has a Jersey accent.”
That struck a chord with Jordan. “Has this guy been around the marina?”
“Yeah. Not too tall. Stocky. Short hair. Looks like he’s never been to the lake.”
“It’s Nicky Carlucci.”
“Could be. I don’t know his last name. How’d you know?”
“I met him. Tried to get information out of him, but he wasn’t much of a talker.”
“What are you going to do?” Derek asked.
That was the question. Jordan had no idea what to do with what she’d just learned. It looked like there were two parties trying to buy the marina. One led by a sleazy politician, and the other likely a casino crime family. She needed time to process these facts, but the meeting with Drew took priority.
“For now, I’m going to stick with the plan to meet Drew.” Jordan addressed Malone. “I want to talk to you again.”
“I don’t want to. Really.”
“It won’t take long. Give me your number.”
“I hope this doesn’t get me killed.”
Jordan put Malone’s number into her phone. “Thanks for your help.”
As Malone walked away, Jordan stopped the recording app on her phone. The length of the audio recording told her it had been running for the entire conversation. Once Malone was far enough away that he wouldn’t hear Jordan, she turned to Derek. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to catch you off guard about your dad. It’s just that he warned me a couple of hours ago, and with Malone warning me, it seemed too coincidental.”
Derek seemed to have regained the composure he’d lost when his dad was first mentioned.
“It’s all right. I’m disappointed my dad is involved in this. But it helps explain some of his strange behavior lately.”
“What are you going to do?”
“About my dad? For now, nothing. I should come with you to meet Drew, just in case there’s any trouble.”
Jordan wasn’t opposed to having him come with her, but she definitely wanted Travis with her. He could handle a dangerous situation.
“If you bring some tools, it’s a deal. If Drew agrees to help, I may still need to cut through the fence. Maybe drill out the locks as well.”
“Deal. Give me fifteen minutes. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”
“Works for me.”
Jordan watched Derek head toward the large maintenance building. She texted Travis to meet her and Derek in the parking lot.
Where are you, Mike? You’re going to want to hear this.
Nicky looked at his phone before answering it. “What is it, kid?”
“We’ve got trouble.”
“What kind?”
“It’s the reporter. Malone told her what’s going on.”
Nicky listened to the details. He concluded that at least one person from this charade wasn’t going to live to see the Fourth.
39
The sun closed in on the horizon, the sky beginning to display the spectrum of color that signaled a vibrant sunset. Hues of orange and violet were becoming visible, colors that would intensify before the sun finally dipped below the horizon.
Watching the sky prepare for sunset, Chief Brian Foster remembered a time when he’d looked forward to the Fourth of July. Before Andrea had left him, it was a day his family always enjoyed. One where they would bounce between boating, the marina, and their home, always with a collection of close friends. Copper Lake being a small town, the chief usually stayed in uniform and officially worked, but it never felt like work. While he couldn’t enjoy boating with his family on the Fourth, he spent time with them when they weren’t on the water. The crowd in town and at the marina ensured there was always someone who wanted to stop and chat for a few minutes.
The Fourth of July two years ago marked the end of this being his favorite holiday. That year, Andrea hadn’t coordinated activities with friends and didn’t even go on the lake with Derek. The chief remembered they were supposed to watch the fireworks together, but Andrea never met him at the marina. His job obligated him to stay at the marina until after the fireworks were complete. When he finally got home that night, Andrea was gone. He never saw her again, their only interactions mediated through lawyers.
Somehow, he had kept going, albeit barely. His affinity for an occasional bit of gambling had become a full-fledged habit. One that set him on his current path with the Vitalis. His gambling could have put him on another path. One that ended up with him already being dead. It was actually just a fluke that it hadn’t. The chief wondered if it might have been better if that had happened. Derek didn’t really need him anymore. Their relationship, having been under strain since Derek had hit his teens, got worse after Andrea left.
As the chief drove to meet Nicky Carlucci, he couldn’t help but feel that this would be his last Fourth of July as police chief. So many things would have to work in his favor in order for him to keep his job, and it seemed unlikely he’d make it. As his last two years of gambling demonstrated, long odds never played out for him.
The fact that Nicky was here in person made it worse. The chief had been in control of recent events, and he could usually steer outcomes in his favor. But Nicky’s presence meant the chief wasn’t in control. Nicky was here to make sure the Vitalis’ best interests were protected, not the chief’s. If what was best for the Vitalis also happened to work out for the chief, Nicky wouldn’t care. But the chief knew he wasn’t part of the equation.
The chief pulled into the small parking lot next to a public beach and parked next to the only other car in the lot. Nicky wasn’t in his car. The chief saw him standing on the beach near the waterline, a coffee in his right hand. Nicky didn’t turn around as the chief came up beside him.
; “You know,” Nicky began. “I’m supposed to be at the Jersey Shore today. All week, in fact. It pisses my girlfriend off. Take it from me, you don’t want a Jersey girl pissed at you. It’s going to take a lot of coin for me to get out of the doghouse.”
“Maybe you promise to take her here for a weekend once the Vitalis buy the marina.”
Nicky looked at the chief. “Have you ever been to the Jersey Shore?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“Well, let’s just say the vibe here, while relaxing, doesn’t compare. It would bore my girlfriend stupid inside of an hour.”
“Life at the lake isn’t for everyone.”
“No, it’s not.” Nicky paused and took a sip of coffee. “We need to talk about a wrinkle that’s come up. It involves the reporter, Jordan Reed, and your man Malone. It seems like Ms. Reed got Malone to admit that he’s been setting up the marina accidents.”
The chief looked to the sky in frustration. He knew Malone was a weak link but had believed the threat of going back to jail would keep him in line. He hoped Nicky was wrong.
“Are you sure? How do you know?”
“I’m one hundred percent certain. I know because someone who heard the conversation told me.”
“Malone said this in front of someone else?”
“Chief, it doesn’t matter how the conversation went down. What matters is that it happened.”
“Fine. But I find it hard to believe Malone actually admitted what he did.”
“Way I hear it, he got tripped up by Jordan Reed. He didn’t strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer, so I’m not surprised. But he didn’t just implicate himself. He dropped your name.”
Now the chief lost the control he was working so hard to exert. “That little shit. When I get my hands on him, I’ll break his neck.”
“No, you won’t. He’s my responsibility now. Especially since Jordan Reed also helped Malone connect me to this mess.”
“She knows who you are?”
“She somehow figured out I worked at the casino and connected me to the Vitalis. Now, thanks to your unreliable helper, Jordan Reed knows the Vitalis are behind the marina accidents and that you’re helping them.”